


Echeneis Hammerensis

by dracusfyre



Series: Tony Stark Bingo Challenge [37]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: BAMF Tony Stark, Gen, Revenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:40:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25575208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracusfyre/pseuds/dracusfyre
Summary: Tony offers an olive branch to Justin Hammer.
Series: Tony Stark Bingo Challenge [37]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1033895
Comments: 4
Kudos: 95
Collections: Tony Stark Flash Bingo





	Echeneis Hammerensis

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Echeneis Hammerensis  
> Card Number: 018  
> Square: 2 "Justin Hammer"  
> Ship: None  
> Rating: G  
> Warnings: None  
> Summary: Tony offers an olive branch to Justin Hammer.

“Mr. Hammer,” Tony says with a brisk but not unfriendly smile. He held out a hand for Justin to shake, and the man eyed it suspiciously, planning to ignore it, before he remembered that there were photographers liberally salted through the crowd. “What an unexpected pleasure.”

“Tony,” Justin gritted out around a forced smile. “So nice to see you, as always.”

“I hope I’m not being rude when I say I’m surprised to see you here,” Tony continued. “Here” was Silicon Valley’s Breakthrough awards, a glitzy award ceremony for tech types that wanted to feel glamorous. Stark Industries had branched out into consumer electronics, so they had a booth at the convention that accompanied the award ceremony. Hammer Industries, however, had yet to break into this market, so Tony wasn’t wrong in being surprised that Justin was here.

“I’m a donor,” Justin said smugly, pointing to his name at the top of the ‘Thanks To’ list. Just because Hammer Industries wasn't in the market yet didn't mean they weren't hoping to be. “What brings you out? I don’t see your name on here,” he said, ostentatiously looking for Tony's name on the donor list, all the way down to the $100 dopes at the bottom.

“I’m one of the award winners,” Tony said, pointing to his name under the mathematics category. Justin’s smug grin turned sour, but the flash of petulance was gone by the time Tony turned back to him. “But that’s a real classy move for you to donate, I’m impressed.”

“You are?” Justin asked skeptically.

“Yeah. Look,” Tony said, glancing around to see that they were, for the moment, in their own private bubble in the middle of the mingling crowd. “I know we haven’t gotten along over the years, but I think it’s past time we bury the hatchet.”

“Really.”

“Sure. I mean, this biz is too small for us to be at war all the time, right? Plus," Tony said, lowering his voice, "if we work together we would have a controlling share of the market.”

Justin put his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels, another smile tugging on his lips. _This_ he understood. “That’s true,” he allowed, already seeing the dollar signs. “Maybe we could even collaborate on a project sometime.”

“In fact,” Tony said, face brightening as he remembered something, “I was thinking about this just the other day. You see, Pepper encouraged me to fund more university science programs, and they contacted me to let me know that they had made a new discovery and was asking if I wanted to name it. And I thought, what better way to extend an olive branch than to name it after you?” Justin’s smile turned into one of polite confusion as Tony pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I mean after all, what man doesn’t want to have his name be immortalized in the annals of science?”

“That’s very generous of you,” Justin said, baffled, craning his head slightly trying to see what Tony was looking up. “What is it? A star? A comet?”

“Ah, here it is,” Tony said with satisfaction. He turned the screen around so Justin could see it. “ _Echeneis hammerensis.”_ Justin’s smile faded when he saw the narrow, strange looking fish with an oddly flat head. “It’s a remora,” Tony explained. “Also known as a suckerfish, because it attaches itself to bigger, more successful hunters and feeds off their leftovers.”

Justin’s face reddened and his hands tightened into fists at his sides. “You son of a bitch,” he snarled.

“Watch it, Hammer,” Tony warned, the friendly smile never leaving his face even as his eyes flashed with anger. “Cameras are everywhere.” He leaned closer and said, “The next time I find one of your corporate spies in my company, I’m going to hang them up by their heels in front of Hammer Industries corporate headquarters, and then I’m going to blackball you so thoroughly you’re going to have to pay Chechen gangsters to take your second-rate armaments. Got it?”

“I hate you,” Justin said. As the VP of a prominent startup company walked by, he forced a smile that was more of a grimace. “I hope you fly into the side of a building one day.”

Tony laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “Good chat, Hammer. Stay classy.”


End file.
